


Devil's Gamble

by Wikkid



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fake Marriage, Fluff, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 19:54:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10624020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wikkid/pseuds/Wikkid
Summary: How do you catch a murderer targeting rich married couples who like to gamble? Why, find a rich Devil to pretend to be married to, of course.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [casuallydeliciousphilospher @ Tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=casuallydeliciousphilospher+%40+Tumblr).



> *This will be set somewhat before the whole enlightened by feelings/knowledge of the miracle of Chloe part of the canon, which would make it a bit AU in where it goes. But let's face it, we love us some clueless Deckerstar being smacked in the face with feelings of truth.*

If there was one thing that Dan Espinoza hated more than anything, it was when Lucifer Morningstar was vital to a case. He had, according to Dan, already screwed the pooch more than once when it came to involving himself in police affairs. He'd messed up his sting operation, he'd almost gotten Chloe killed... but he'd also come through in the end. And it grated on Dan's nerves like nothing else could. Because for all that he hated how smooth the man was, how odd he was, how he'd worked himself into not only his wife's-- _ex_ -wife's life, but also his daughter's, the man seemed to actually care about Chloe. Which was a surprise when you took into consideration that he didn't seem to care about anyone or anything else beyond getting his rocks off. Dan couldn't fathom how or why Chloe could fall for any of it, but as much as he wanted to be in denial about a lot of things, he couldn't ignore the looks she gave Lucifer. Or the jealousy she tried so very hard to deny. Or the fact that everyone else around them seemed to be egging them on to 'just get a room already, jeez'. He could try to shrug it off, but he knew better.

Which is why the first thing out of his mouth when Chloe laid out her idea for trying to lure in and catch an unknown perpetrator that was stalking, robbing, and murdering rich married couples who were into gambling was, "No. In fact, _Hell_ no."

Chloe let out a long breath, forcing down the need to give Dan the finger. "Yes. It's the best plan we have, Dan."

"Best plan? It's not even a _plan_. Are you kidding me?"

"Actually," chimed in Ella, finger up as she waggled it between first Dan, then Chloe, "It's a pretty good plan. Every good lie has a basis in truth, and Lucifer is kinda disgustingly wealthy."

"And into gambling," added Lucifer, who'd been silent up until that point, leaning back against the wall, arms resting in front of him so he could clasp his hands together, watching the sparks all but flying out of Dan's eyes as he looked at him and trying (and failing) not to be amused by it. "Among almost every other vice there is. In fact, I'm quite certain I've frequented most of the establishments in Los Angeles."

Chloe lifted a hand to gesture at Lucifer. "See? He's already well known to be both into the life and to have the money to play around with it. Having him go to the place we think the suspect is using as their hunting grounds wouldn't raise any suspicion. Just another day for him."

"With you as his _wife_?" The heat in Dan's voice all but raised the temperature in the room, making Chloe's eyes narrow as she folded her arms and glared at Dan. 

"It's undercover, Dan. Not that you have any say in either aspect." That heat was suddenly lowered by the chill in her voice, Lucifer pressing his lips together to keep from grinning. He didn't do a very good job. Ella had to duck her head to cough and look off to the side before she pulled herself together. 

"Look guys, it's a good plan. We can wire them up before we send them in." Ella tried to calm the tension in the air she could feel between Chloe and Dan, knowing she wasn't going to get any help from Lucifer on that end since the man seemed to live to aggravate Dan. It didn't hurt that she sort of maybe liked the idea of sending Lucifer and Chloe in as husband and wife. Maybe it'd resolve some of that simmering unresolved sexual tension between them. Frankly, she was surprised that every piece of clothing didn't just burst into flames when the two of them were in the same room. She always left the pair of them feeling a little worked up herself. Chloe had a will of steel to resist that. 

Dan opened his mouth to refute that, but Chloe slapped a hand down on the table. "Dammit, Dan. Put your damn ego aside for a minute. This isn't about _us_. This is about some psycho out there killing people. Stopping him is our job, remember? That's what we do. This is happening. End of story." There was that note of finality to her voice, a resolve that went beyond anything personal between them, which is what had him sighing and running a hand through his hair. 

He hated anything that put the pair of them together. He hated it more when he had to rely on Lucifer to keep her safe. And he hated it even _more_ that he knew he _could_ rely on Lucifer to keep her safe. His gaze met Lucifer's as his lips thinned and he propped his hands up on his hips. "You let anything happen to her, man... _anything_ \- and I swear to God..." 

There was a flinching around the corners of Lucifer's eyes as he pushed off from the wall, smoothing his jacket down and giving Dan a look down his nose. "Don't bring _Him_ into it. The Detective is perfectly capable of keeping herself safe, Douche. But on the chance she needs help, she has it." He looked over towards Chloe, who turned to look at him as he said that. The press of his lips softened, an almost smile starting there. "She knows that." 

Dan wanted to stab himself in the eyes when he saw that soft look that Lucifer gave her. He felt an echoing pain in middle of his chest when he noticed the look Chloe gave him back, something just as soft that left a sour taste in his mouth. And he had no one to blame but himself. He'd messed up. He'd lied. He'd put her in danger. And he'd lost her. He was going to have to learn to suck it up and move past that, otherwise he was going to ruin the chance of having anything resembling a friendship with her. She was the mother of his child, and while he knew he couldn't have things the way they used to be, he didn't want to lose her entirely. 

Ella looked like she wanted to grab the back of both their heads and smoosh them together. There was a sappy little smile there before she cleared her throat. "Right. Good. So we've got a plan. If we want to sell it, we'll have to get you a penthouse suite in one of the Santa Monica hotels. Maybe we can backdate it a bit so it looks like you've been out here longer on your... ah... honeymoon."

Dan's face instantly clouded over at that, but he kept his mouth shut. Lucifer looked like he was enjoying himself far too much. "Leave that to me. I'll have everything set up for-- when exactly should this start, mm?"

"The sooner the better. If you can get it for tonight, that'd be for the best. I can set Trixie up to stay at a friend's. You can text me the details. We done here?" Chloe looked around at the rest of their little group, getting a perky nod and a salute from Ella, a grim looking nod and a grunt from Dan, and a... she wasn't entirely sure what that look from Lucifer was, but it seemed enthusiastic. "Good. Let's go catch this guy."

\---

When she'd gotten the text from Lucifer suggesting they meet at Lux, she'd wondered if he'd been unable to get the bookings, feeling frustrated that they might have to put this off for longer, leaving the possibility of another couple being singled out and killed because of it. He'd asked her to bring anything she'd packed as well, so her steps were a little huffy as she stomped into his suite when the elevator doors dinged open. "Lucifer? Why didn't you pick up the phone? If we didn't get a suite, I need to know what to do about where Trixie's staying--" Her voice trailed off as she saw what appeared to be two sets of luggage resting by his piano. Chloe's gym bag rested on the floor as she tipped her head at him in confusion. "What..."

"It's for the ruse, Detective. If we're playing at being married, then you need to act like it. Which means no smelly gym bags with tatty shirts. Not to worry; I've gotten an entire vacation's worth of goods packed up for you. There's even a variety of swimwear, in case you feel the need..." He waggled his brows, sipping at his drink as he sat on his couch, watching her reaction with no small amount of joy. Oh, he did so love to flummox her. She was adorable when she was flustered. 

Chloe, for her part, knew without even having to check or ask that one of those swimwear options was a small red bikini. Because he was Lucifer, and Lucifer was a twelve year old boy with an obsession for boobies. "... Lucifer. I can't just... I mean, it's not- you don't just-," her voice cut out a few times, her brain forgetting exactly how to put a sentence together as she tried to decide what game he was playing at.

"We're playing the couple, yes? Well, I'm... how did Ms. Lopez put it? Disgustingly wealthy? Would _my wife_ really be wearing anything less than I'd wear? Come now. You want to sell it, don't you? So change out of that. I've put an outfit out on the bed for you. Something suitable for when we arrive at the hotel. Might give the game away if you arrive like... that." His hand gestured to what she was wearing; jeans and a dark long-sleeved shirt with a vest over it. Totally comfortable and appropriate clothing for working as a homicide detective. Not, however, for the newly minted wife of one Lucifer Morningstar, she sullenly admitted to herself. She wanted to argue. Really. She really wanted to go over and dump that glass of expensive scotch onto his head. She was also a little curious what it was she thought 'his wife' should be wearing. 

Pointing a finger at him as if that was all she needed to say, she huffed and turned to go up the dais to his bed and-- "Lucifer! I'm not wearing a goddamn thong!"

"It's an expensive thong."

"I don't care!"

"... I suppose crotchless panties are out as well, mm?" His answer was one of his pillows sailing out from his room to fwap him in the back of his head. He chuckled, rubbing at the back of his head before smoothing his hair down. "Fine. Fine. I suppose it's a good thing I packed something else." Oh, he'd known she'd hate it, but... well. Everyone had their fantasies, and he always tried to make his come true. Besides, she hadn't complained about the dress he'd set out, so he felt he'd won a little bit. 

The dress was a light, airy little white number, something soft and yet sultry all at once. She came down from the dais, slipping on the shoes and using the piano to help her balance. "Well? This suitable for Mrs. Morningstar?" She tried to ignore the little flare of something as she said that, taking a moment to look down and fuss with the skirt, smoothing it out before she looked up at him. 

It had her missing that heat that came into his eyes, missing the way he gazed at her with something close to possessiveness. It would have sounded silly coming from anyone else, but from her... He set his glass down, standing and buttoning his jacket as he came over, giving her an up and down look that she noticed and quirking a brow at her. "You're lovely." Not the dress. Not the name. Her. But now wasn't the time. She was right; there was someone out there who needed to be caught and punished. That was his job, after all. No matter what plane he was on. "Ms. Lopez has left us a bag with surveillance equipment. I distributed it through our luggage. Less likely to be noticed that way, in case someone from the hotel is in on it. I thought it was best we arrive in character, so to speak." She nodded, slipping coolly back into detective mode, moving to pick up one of the bags before he halted her with a touch to her wrist. "Ah, ah. Mrs. Morningstar doesn't carry her own luggage. We have help for that." He pressed a button and a few moments later, the doors to the elevator dinged open and two men came in, looking over at the bags and heading towards them to pick them up. "Car's in the parking garage, gentlemen. We'll meet you down there."

Chloe raised a brow at him through it all, watching the luggage moved out with a silent efficiency as Lucifer went to pick up a blue shawl he came over to drape over her shoulders, along with a blue clutch that matched. "Come, love. We've a murderer to catch and punish." He held an arm out for her and she tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow. Looking up at him, she couldn't help but notice how utterly _pleased_ he looked with all of this. He always enjoyed playing along with her detective work, but this was a different kind of pleasure. Oddly, she didn't seem to mind it, but... the case was young and there were ample opportunities for her to be annoyed by him and his... Lucifer-ness.

Which proved to be true almost as soon as they arrived at the hotel. She heard Lucifer say 'my wife' more in the ten minutes it took them to check in than she had in her entire marriage with Dan. Her reaction was to just slap on a smile and nod along with everything, trying to mimic the look she saw every other woman giving him. Lucifer just gave her a curious quirk of his brow, following along with their bellboy over towards the elevator to the penthouse suite. Her silence was both terrifying, curious, and a little exciting. He was sure annoyance was in there somewhere behind the somewhat vapid smile she was giving him, but he preferred her to voice it. Which is why when they got to the suite, he paused at the threshold, letting that wicked idea take hold. "Look, darling. We never did this at home." The frown of confusion on her face turned into a squeal of surprise as he swept her up off her feet and into his arms, smiling devilishly down at her before he stepped over it. "Mrs. Morningstar..." 

There was something there in the way that he looked at her that had her stomach flopping over before she lifted a hand to swat at him, forgetting their bellboy audience for the moment. "Lucifer! Put me down! What are you--," she stopped as she heard the bellboy clearing his throat. "Ah, just... I need to unpack."

Still grinning, he lowered her to her feet, not rushing in stepping away from her before he sighed dramatically, turning to the bellboy as he dug out a wad of cash. Peeling off two hundreds, he handed them over to the man, shrugging his shoulders. "Married life, am I right?" The bellboy looked over at Chloe, then back at Lucifer, hiding a laugh in a cough, then nodding and politely backing out of the room, leaving their luggage by the door as he took the trolley with him. "You scared him, dear."

Chloe scoffed at him and went over to open one of the bags, starting to rifle through it for their surveillance gear. "You're enjoying this too much. This is work, Lucifer. We're here to catch a murderer."

"Bloody right I am. What's not to enjoy?" He bent to open another, pulling out a small kit that contained ear buds and microtransmitters. "It's like a role-playing vacation. I love it."

Another huff, then she rose to set what she'd pulled out on a table alongside one of the walls. Then she stopped and took a look at the room. "Lucifer," she said, looking over towards the two doors that led from the main room. One, she could see, led to a bathroom. The other to the bedroom. With, what she could also see, held a large king sized bed. _A_ bed. One bed. "There's only one bed in this suite." 

He paused from examining one of the earbuds, looking up at her in surprise. "Of course there is. It's the honeymoon suite. Why would honeymooners need two beds?"

She gave him a look of pure exasperation. "We're not _actually_ honeymooning, Lucifer. There's... we need two beds." 

"Why? We've shared a bed before. Without any fun happening, if I might add. Besides," he said, putting the earbud back and closing the kit before he rose, "it's part of the facade. What if Mr. Murderer comes in and sees me sleeping on the couch when I'm supposed to be happily snuggling my sexy wife?" Both brows waggled at her, his lip caught between his teeth as he set the kit down on the table by her. "I'm committed to playing the role of your obscenely wealthy husband. We've got to sell it. If anyone in the hotel _is_ involved, they'll be the ones telling the murderer that something's off." The look she was giving him was telling him volumes, and he lifted a hand, palm towards her as if to ward off a blow. "Look, I even promise to play nice. I'm hardly going to try to sneak a feel, Detective. I've had you naked and flinging yourself at me and managed, somehow, to keep my hands to myself. I think you glowering at me and threatening to knee me in the nethers will be just as effective."

The more he spoke, the redder her cheeks got, because dammit, he was right. He was also just enjoying himself too much at her expense, and she was trying to keep that barrier up between them. They were working. This was important. He shouldn't look so freaking adorable with that stupid smile on his face. Shaking her head at him, she reached for the kit he'd brought over to look through it herself. "Whatever, Lucifer. Just... I don't know. Go call Ella and check in. Can we get into the club tonight?"

Feeling as if he'd somehow won something, he smoothed his jacket down, preening for a moment before nodding. "Of course. You wanted to lure them out and the best way to do that is to throw a little money around. Consider it done." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, going over to the wet bar to see how well stocked it was as he dialed Ella's number.

A part of her felt a smidgen of guilt, knowing he was throwing his own money around for this, but she had to clamp down on that. Lucifer was a big boy. If he didn't want to do something, he wouldn't. He always seemed to enjoy spending money and never seemed to actually care about it in the long term. She still had no idea where he got it all, but he always had a stack of bills tucked away on him to pull out and wave at a situation. Still... "Lucifer, I-- Look. I appreciate that you're doing this. That you're willing to help. That you're putting yourself in danger..."

He looked up from the phone, saying goodbye to Ella after confirming that everything was in place and ready to go for later that night. "Of course, Detective. We're partners, after all. Besides, danger is where all the fun is. Can't let you have it all to yourself, can I?" He flashed her a quick smile, then picked up the bottle he'd been eying, uncorking the lid and pouring himself a glass. "We'll be slapping cuffs on the bad guy in _no_ time. Just you see." A cheers and a lift of his glass as he took a sip and Chloe gave him a dubious look. No time, huh? She could only hope they were that lucky.

\---

Their luck with the case wasn't as good as it seemed to be in the actual art of gambling. Three nights. Three nights she'd had to spend playing the happy newlywed, plastered to Lucifer's side or bouncing up and down at a table while throwing dice or pouting at her cards while trying to scope out everyone around them. It was hard. Harder than she'd thought it'd be. Not just because of the press of bodies, the loudness of the chatter, the constant barrage of offers to 'trade up', or the fact that she had to deal with the looks of outright hatred from every pair of female eyes she came across. No, the failure to find and lure in their prey wasn't nearly as hard as the nights in their suite. Alone with Lucifer. In bed. He'd been right, of course. They had no idea of the murderer or murderer _s_ had any inside help. The chance of this being foiled by some maid walking in on a newlywed couple with surveillance equipment and one of them sleeping on the couch was too much for her to risk. So the equipment was always hidden away after each night out and the bed was shared.

Three nights. The first night, she'd stolen extra cushions from the couch, laying them between them and giving him a scowl as if daring him to complain about it. The bed was a king. There was more than enough room for him, her, and their pillow barrier. He'd been wearing silk pajamas (of course), and she'd made him promise he wouldn't sleep naked. He'd just smiled and said "As you like, Detective," then had crawled in on his side of the bed, making a big show of smoothing down the blankets on his side, tucking himself in and lying on his back, hands folded on his chest and closing his eyes. He couldn't seem to wipe the smile from his face, though, and she'd kept the scowl on hers as she'd laid on her side, back to him and hand tucked under her pillow as she fought to get to sleep. She'd finally drifted off, waking up just before dawn. She'd been curled up on her side, facing him, the pillow barrier scattered over the bed. She sat up, about to swat at him, but she noticed where she was lying -- where the pillow barrier had previously been. Lucifer was almost exactly as he'd been when he'd gone to sleep; on his back with a pleased look on his face. She stared down at him, at the mess she'd made of the bed, scowl returning as she moved to shift to her side, to slide out and get up. It was warm in the room, but she'd felt cold as she slid out from the covers, a tempting sort of heat under them that she'd ignored as she moved to pick out her 'wife' outfit of the day and headed into the bathroom. 

The second night, Lucifer had been a little buzzed, offering to help her into her pajamas if she wanted. She did _not_ want, and one of the pilfered pillows wound up smacking against the side of his head and knocking him into bed. The barrier was put between them again, Chloe spending a little extra time trying to fix it just _so_ , as if that would keep it in place this time. Lucifer got into bed, settling on his back and turning his head to smile over at her. "I don't mind if you want to snuggle, Detective." His grin had spread as she sputtered, flustered at both the suggestion and the fact that maybe he'd woken up at some point and had seen her last night. She snorted a huff at him and turned to flop onto her side, back to him again as she reached over to turn off the light and close her eyes, mentally telling herself not to move in her sleep. To stay still. She woke up just after dawn, slowly blinking her eyes open and feeling... good. Warm. Comfortable. There was a scent that was like aromatherapy, something musky and tantalizing and-. Jerking her head up, she looked down to see that the pillow barrier was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was looking down at a purple silk pajama shirt, one she'd been cuddled up to. Lifting a hand to rub her eyes clear, she realized that she hadn't just kicked the barrier off, she'd crossed that invisible line and had wound up all but plastered to his side. Her left leg was hooked over his, her head having been pillowed against his shoulder, his arm under her head, hand resting against her back. His eyes cracked open when she moved, his smile spreading like honey over his face, dark brown eyes sleepily looking up at her in pleasure. "Mm, so glad you took me up on my offer. I slept like a baby." 

She'd scoffed and moved away, tucking a few messy strands behind her ear as she'd slid out of bed, barking at him to order room service as she headed into the bathroom. 

The third night, Chloe was the one who was a little buzzed. She'd spent the morning arguing with Dan over how long this was taking and her having to share a room with Lucifer. She'd hung up on him and had called Ella, seeing if there'd been any headway made on identifying anything from the previous scenes. Nothing new. Then she'd called Trixie, spending an hour chatting with her daughter. It was after that phone call that she wanted to go home. Just go home and curl up with her baby and pretend that the men in her life weren't trying to drive her crazy. But they had another day of playing the lifestyle of the rich and famous, throwing money around and heading from one gambling den to another. Lucifer had mentioned that they shouldn't spend all their time in the one she was sure the murderer was picking his targets from, since that wasn't what a real rich gambling couple would do. She had to trust that he knew what he was doing on that end, but after two fruitless days of playing the bimbo and missing her daughter while smacking herself over her inability to curb her snuggling tendencies, Chloe accepted one of the drinks slid her way. Then a second. She'd downed a third before Lucifer decided that they should call it a night. "But we're just getting started, _honeybuns_." She gave him a flutter of her lashes, hand moving down to give his backside a squeeze.

Lucifer yelped. A quick little yip that surprised both of them before he grabbed her hand and moved to cash them out for the night. "I think you're about done, my dear. Time to tuck you in for the night." She wasn't _drunk_ , he could tell that much, but she was on her way. Which, considering they were 'working', wasn't like her. He kept an arm around her as they left, as they hailed a car, as they headed up to their suite. She, for her part, didn't fuss about it. Not yet. When they were inside, she reached down the front of her dress to pull out the microtransmitter, signalling that they were signing off for the night. Lucifer's brows rose further at that, then higher still as she came over and reached out to undo the button his transmitter was behind. When both of them were off, she stood there looking at him with her hands on her hips. "What?" He was, at this point, confused.

"I didn't think it would take this long. I thought... I don't know what I thought. Normally it all goes so quickly. You get involved and poof, there's the bad guy. They practically jump out of the shadows when you're around. But it's been three days and we're no closer to catching this guy than we were when we started. I miss Trixie. And I miss my own bed. My bed alone." There was a hint of pink to her cheeks there, then she went over to the wet bar to borrow his trick of distracting herself with a drink. 

He slid up behind her, moving to stop her from pouring anything, hand covering the glass. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm sorry this is hard on you. If I could- If I had any control over whoever it is, I'd make it happen now." This side of her wasn't one he wanted to see. Not because it was ugly or because she was, but because it meant she was upset. Genuinely upset, and that made him want to do whatever he could to change it. He'd take her scowling at him and poking him in the chest over her turning away from him. His hand rested gently on her shoulder, hoping she'd turn around. "If there's anything I can do to make it easier, just tell me." 

She turned slowly, head down at first, but she dragged her gaze up to his. He was looking at her like he was so afraid she'd tell him to get lost. Like he was _afraid_ of what she'd do, and that made her feel like crap. Her arms wound around his middle and she moved to rest her head against his chest. She took a deep breath, drawing in that mix of scents he always had around him; musk, cigarettes, alcohol, and something male and Lucifer-like. He carefully and slowly put his arms around her, lightly, like he expected her to draw back any second. "Is... is that offer still open?"

It took him a moment to figure out what she meant, a little surprise evident on his face that she missed. "Always."

Drawing back, she looked up at him, watching him for just a moment, eyes skimming over his face before they locked on his. "Promise to behave?" 

The smile turned into something a little less soft and a little more wicked. "Always." 

She swatted at his chest, her own grin crooked as she backed away. "Fine. Don't be a jerk about it, though." Lucifer made an x over his heart and zipped his lips, still smirking. "I don't know why I haven't shot you again yet."

That night there was an odd heaviness in her when she entered the bedroom from the bathroom, pajamas on, to see Lucifer already in bed, a little bit closer to the center, smiling as he patted the bed beside himself. "Ready when you are, love." 

She levied a finger at him. "We're just sleeping. _Sleeping_. I'm doing this so I don't have to clean up all the pillows in the morning."

Lucifer had one of those moments of knowing when to keep the truth to himself, nodding solemnly instead of saying something like 'If that's what you have to tell yourself'. He _wanted_ her to curl up with him as a conscious decision. Oh, he hadn't minded waking up with her, but he'd known that she'd done it in her sleep. She hadn't made a conscious decision, and just like when she'd gotten all flirty when she'd been drunk, he liked her to be in her right mind when she did anything towards him. It mattered that she wanted to be where she was, not that it just happened to be where she wound up. So he kept his thoughts to himself, drawing the covers back and waiting for her to come over on her own time. 

She looked at him suspiciously, like she was waiting for some perverted quip, but he was behaving, so she just jabbed her finger at him before she came over and crawled into bed, turning out the light before she shifted closer. The gap between them closed and she felt that heaviness again. She paused, stopping for a moment to wonder about it. Why was she so nervous? Was she afraid of him? ... No. No, that wasn't it. It wasn't like she was even remotely worried about being felt up -- or worse, while she slept. In fact, she knew that drunk or not, she would always be completely safe with him in that regard. Lucifer was one person that she knew respected the word no. No... he was someone she knew respected _her_. So why was she so anxious? It took her a second, because apparently she was an idiot, but it came to her when she looked at him and saw him lying there looking both confused and apprehensive at her hesitation. Because it mattered. Because even though she brushed him off a thousand times, it mattered. To him. To her. This wasn't just two people sharing a bed. This was _them_ sharing a bed. This wasn't just her trusting him, because she already did, but this was her opening up a little. Opening up to the possibilities she'd closed off. To, even if it was just in her mind, allowing herself the 'what if' factor. To thinking of him as more than just 'Lucifer' or 'her partner'. She didn't want to give that other thing a name, not yet, but she was opening up to thinking about it. Well, damn. Okay then. With that settled, she moved to lay herself beside him, resting her head on the pillow of his arm and shoulder, her arm curled up in that dip between her body and his, not quite ready to settle in completely. 

For his part, Lucifer kept quiet. He'd thought for a moment that she was going to change her mind. She had a perplexing look over her face, thoughts flitting behind her eyes that he had no notion of. Then there seemed to be some conclusion met and she'd moved to lay down. Whatever she'd been thinking, it had ended with her moving to curl up with him, so he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. His arm curled around her, the smile not capable of leaving him in that moment. The room was dark, but that had never really bothered him that much. Besides, he didn't need to _see_ just then. He could hear her breathing softly, feel her warm and solid against him. Smell that jasmine scent she wore. She fit against him like a puzzle piece and he found himself wondering about that. She was this tiny little thing, yet everything about her seemed to match him so well. He couldn't figure it. But he also couldn't deny it. Her hand started to move slowly, sliding over from where it was against his side until it was resting over his heart. She might well feel the way it jumped underneath her palm, that little stutter before it settled back to its normal pace. He lay there, still, almost afraid to move for a few minutes before he lifted his hand to rest it over hers. He heard a soft little sigh, felt the puff of her breath through his shirt, and something inside him, something jagged and hurt still after so many years unclenched a little. Relaxed. Let him wrap his fingers around hers, holding her hand on his chest and trying not to feel like more was happening. It was just his hand on hers. That's all it was. Yet he felt so much _more_ from it. It was more intimate than anything sexual he'd ever done and he was lying there in bed marveling over it. 

They lay like that for a while, neither of them asleep. Lucifer, because he was afraid of missing out on something, afraid of not feeling everything he could from this novel new sensation. Chloe, because the idea that a man who got around as much as Lucifer did having his heart skip a beat under her touch was... well. It was a little intoxicating. She remembered him mentioning blue balls once, smiling a little at the thought behind being the only one to do anything new for him. She liked the thought. She also liked the idea of actually _snuggling_ , which is why she shifted to move, making Lucifer lift his hand as if he'd done something wrong. She chuckled softly, then whispered, "Just changing positions. Feel like being a big spoon?"

Surprised yet again by her, he felt her take his hand as she started to roll over, dragging it over her and making him turn onto his side to accommodate her wishes. He'd promised to behave, and he intended to abide by that promise, but he couldn't really help certain reactions to things like round, warm body parts fitting in against him. His knees tucked up under hers and her backside slotted in against his front, Lucifer sending a fruitless thought downward to issue a denial. His arm was wrapped around her, her other hand holding his and tucking their joined hands under her chin. He waited for her to fully situate herself before he lay his head down, moving in a little so he could bury his nose in her hair. It was his turn to let out a happy little sigh. How something so simple and comparatively innocent could be so bloody satisfying was a mystery. Yet here he was, Lucifer bloody Morningstar, curled up with a tiny little human woman and feeling like there wasn't anything else he'd rather be doing at that moment. 

It wasn't long after that he drifted off, Chloe joining him in falling into a warm, peaceful sleep. He couldn't really say what it was that woke him -- a sense of wrongness, maybe. A tinge of evil in the air. Maybe he just reacted to the notion that the thing he cared about most was in danger, but Lucifer's eyes opened to the image of something dark on the opposite side of the bed from him. A person where a person shouldn't be. What had his heart stopping in his chest for a moment was the flash of light off something metal. Something silver. Something sharp. Something deadly. The previous victims had all been stabbed; throats slashed and bloody gaping wounds marking them in vivid red on the glossy pictures he'd seen laid out at the precinct. Those images flashed in his mind before he clutched Chloe to him and rolled them. He drew her over his body, moving to roll her off the bed, back bared to the man. But the move had been unexpected. The intruder had expected both of them to be asleep and the knife stabbed into the bed where Chloe had been. 

Chloe woke to the sensation of movement. Her eyes opened as Lucifer dumped her off the side of the bed, turning to look up at him as he rolled to trap the man's arm against the bed. There was a curse, one that was bitten off as Lucifer's fist connected with his face. Chloe stood, watching and taking in that there was a knife sticking out of the bed where she'd been lying and Lucifer was leaping off the bed after a man in black. She reached into the bedside table where she'd stashed her weapon, flicking on the lamp and blinking away the glare as she lifted her gun, aiming it at the tussling duo. "LAPD! Freeze! I said freeze! ... Lucifer, don't kill him." 

Lucifer had broken the arm that had held the knife, holding the other one away from his body as the man had tried to reach for another knife on a belt that held far too many. Lucifer's other hand was around his throat, back to Chloe, fighting against the urge to send this man where he needed to go. His eyes flashed red and he saw the panic light the man's eyes, saw the moment he realized he'd made the biggest mistake in his life. And he didn't care. His hand stayed where it was, cutting off the flow of oxygen to his lungs, to his brain, watching that panic and fear dance over the man's face. "Lucifer! Stop." 

It wasn't until her hand was on his arm that he realized she'd moved, that he snapped himself out of the need to tear this sod's throat out. "He almost killed you." Said with far too much rage, too much need for retribution for Chloe not to feel the shiver of fear skitter down her own spine.

"But he didn't. He needs to be punished for what he did, Lucifer. But not like this." Her hand squeezed his arm, sliding down to his wrist. "Let him go. We got him." Her voice was low and slow, realizing that he was on the edge of something that she needed to talk him down from. 

The man's lips were starting to go purple, as was the rest of his face, and Lucifer could imagine what it would look like if he just squeezed a little more. How the eyes would bulge, how his tongue would swell and-- how she'd look at him after that. How she'd always picture him as a murderer. A monster. His eyes moved from the man's to hers, seeing explicit trust there. As if she knew he wouldn't do it. Oh, but he wanted to. The idea of her lying there bleeding out... A growl left his lips, but he opened his hands, letting the man drop to the ground to cradle his broken arm in one hand as he sucked in a lungful of air before coughing it out. "As you like, Detective. I'll call the Douche, shall I?"

Her gun was still out, but it was aimed at the ground as she kept an eye on the now-cowed intruder. "Please." The man looked up at her, then over at Lucifer, then back to her, moving to roll onto his back as he held his injured arm. He was crying as he lay there on his back. Quiet, silent sobs that Chloe couldn't find it in her to feel sorry about. It was starting to sink in just how close she'd come, how close they'd both come -- and how much more likely it would have been if they hadn't wound up falling asleep as they had. If she'd been further away... If he hadn't been as close as he'd been to grab her... Jesus. 

The rest of the night passed in a blur of police and ambulance lights, hotel personnel buzzing as she knew the gossip of what went down would be spread far and wide by the morning. Then she'd had to go to the precinct, Lucifer following along to regale the officers there with tales of the dresses of the women at the gambling dens. He was uncharacteristically quiet about anything that happened behind the closed doors of the hotel, but no one seemed to mind, as the officers all seemed to enjoy living the rich life vicariously through Lucifer. Donuts and gourmet coffee was delivered in addition, earning him more brownie points from the boys in blue. She'd been debriefed by her Captain, and they'd filled out most of the relevant paperwork. Ella had come in to make sure she was okay and to collect her equipment. Dan had come in to make sure she was okay and to begrudgingly but honestly thank Lucifer. There was an odd truce between the two of them she didn't understand, but truce or not, they still fought like schoolyard boys from time to time. 

It was almost five in the morning by the time they were done and she was put on leave for a day and told to go home and at least take a nap. Lucifer offered to drive her home, but she reminded him she needed to pick up her bag from Lux first. He felt like it was an excuse, like she could just as easily come by later that day or the next to pick up things she'd done well enough without for the last few days, but frankly, he didn't mind. At the moment, he wasn't quite ready to see her go, but he wasn't sure how to voice it without sounding like an ass. He still kept seeing that knife coming down as she lay curled up, vulnerable, against him. It was silly, really. He'd seen her shot. They'd both almost gone up in flames. Danger sort of went hand in hand with being around her, which was part of the thrill. But them coming out on top of this was purely up to chance. If he hadn't woken--

They both had the same thing running through their heads, making the ride to Lux a quiet one. Maze wasn't there, thankfully, and the ride up to the suite was equally quiet. He waited for her to leave the elevator before him, following after her before heading to his bar and a much needed drink. "Drink?" Offered both out of habit and because, well, perhaps he wasn't the only one who needed one. He'd taken a sip, turning to see if she was going to answer, surprised yet again by her being right there in front of him. She could move quietly when she wanted to. His glass was taken out of his hand, a sip taken from it before she set it aside, eyes never leaving his.

"Thank you." Said quietly and with a little too much weight to it.

"You're welcome. I can pour another, if you'd like."

She laughed, but it came out a little bit like a sob as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, mimicking their position from earlier, resting her cheek against his chest. "That's not what I'm thanking you for, you jerk. _Thank you_. For saving me. I--" She had to stop, throat closing up a little as she felt the prick of tears. She might have been able to hold them back if she hadn't felt his arm move around her, his hand rubbing up along her back, his cheek resting on the top of her head. It wasn't an ugly crying session, not a sob fest, but she let a little of that fear she'd felt that was battering its way through her exhaustion out. A few tears, a little sniffle, and that warm steady presence that she was starting to rely on. 

"I told you, love. You're far too interesting. Besides, I rather like having you around." His hand pet over the back of her hair, feeling a little relieved that he wasn't the only one feeling a little off from what had almost happened. And because he wanted to make her feel better, to make her feel more herself, he let the next words actually pass his lips instead of biting them back. "And it's proof that sleeping with me is good for your health."

It took a second for her to filter what he'd just said and when she did, she let out a laugh. Tipping her head back, she looked up at him, cheeks a little wet as she cocked a brow at him. "You are unbelievable."

"I'd happily prove how believable I can be if you'd ever let me." One lift of his brows, a tepid waggle as he moved to let her go. 

She just let out a breath, shaking her head before she lifted her hands to wipe at her cheeks. She wasn't really one to give in to little displays of emotions like that, but then again, she didn't always just about die. And they hadn't had much in the way of sleep before they'd been interrupted. She was tired and a little worn and at the end of her reserves. She gave his chest a pat, then turned to look around for the bag she'd brought, thinking about hefting it over her shoulder and having to go and call a cab to drive her home. Her empty home, since Trixie was still staying over with her friend and Maze was apparently hunting humans at the moment... Dammit. She didn't think she wanted to be alone just then. Looking back up at Lucifer, she saw him watching her, like he was trying to assess her moves before she made them. Maybe it was because of last night (likely), or maybe it was just how tired she was -- hell, it could just be his perverseness in riling her up rubbing off on her, but she found her mouth opening and the half-formed thought being said. "I'd settle for sharing a nap."

She'd caught him by surprise again, evident on his face as he blinked while gaping at her before he smoothed his hands down over his jacket, buttoning it before unbuttoning it again. "Here?" He looked over at his bed, then back at her. "Now?"

Smiling, she nodded, hand moving to catch one of his, lacing her fingers with his as she started to tug at him, turning towards the obscenely large bed on the dais. "Yes, Lucifer. Here and now. Unless you're not tired...?" She paused and looked back at him, curious.

He was still watching her in surprise before he lifted his free hand and covered his mouth and the fake yawn. "Ho-hum. Oh, so tired." He started after her towards the bed, starting to lead her as he passed her, hand still held by hers. 

She laughed, letting him drag her, toeing off her shoes when she got to the expanse of black that was Lucifer's bed. He let go of her hand, albeit reluctantly, to shrug off his jacket and the waistcoat under it. He knelt with one knee on the bed, then turned to look at her. "Am I the big spoon again?"

"I dunno. You think you can manage it without jabbing me in the butt again?" She was teasing as she crawled onto the bed, pulling off the clip-on holster and setting it on the bedside table.

"I think that's very much impossible," he said with a smile as he moved into the center of the bed, already starting to curl around her. "Can't really do much about that, Detective. It wants what it wants. And it seems to very much want you."

Chloe snorted and flicked at his arm, but that didn't stop her from turning so her back was to him, or from lifting up her arm so he could tuck his around her side. This already felt far too comfortable, but she was too tired to argue with herself over what she should or shouldn't do. Last night had been too close and she needed... him. A moment for herself with him where she didn't overthink everything to death. She could feel the way he was snuggling up behind her, felt his breath warming the nape of her neck as he nuzzled into her hair. She did indeed feel that prod at her backside, but just for the initial settling of her against him. Nothing like a persistent nudging or an attempt to get her to go further. Just the comfortable weight of a man who seemed to find her desirable contenting himself with snuggling against her and ignoring his baser urges. "Goodnight, Lucifer."

His arm was tucked against her, her hand curled in his. His nose was buried in her hair, his eyes closed as he drew in the scent of her shampoo and that warm smell of female that he loved so much. A small sigh, a contented sound, and a rumbling reply. "Goodnight, Chloe." 

And the Devil and the Detective drifted off, both of them starting the biggest gamble of their lives without either of them being the wiser for it.


End file.
